I Dare You
by Gwydion
Summary: Perhaps this time he'd be spared. Perhaps this time his baby brother would find someone else to pick on. But somehow the anxious turtle knew that over the past couple of years since they'd discovered this embarrassment of a pastime, he'd become Mikey's favorite, and being Mikey's favorite Truth or Dare target was not a title Raph was thrilled to have.


Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

**I Dare You**

Eight year old Raphael sat with his arms crossed, doing his best not to fidget. He and his brothers were in a circle on the floor in the middle of the common area. Each of the turtles was trying to hide a look of trepidation, except for Michelangelo who wore an evil grin on his freckled face. The youngest of the four siblings was leaning forward, stroking his chin in thought like he'd seen many an evil genius do in his old movies.

"Now, who should I choose?" said Mikey, his eyes glancing from Raph to Leo to Donnie and back again.

As his brother's gaze passed over him, Raph couldn't help but hope that perhaps this time he'd be spared. Perhaps this time his baby brother would find someone else to pick on. It wasn't like he always chose Raph, but somehow the anxious turtle knew that over the past couple of years since they'd discovered this embarrassment of a pastime, he'd become Mikey's favorite.

And being Mikey's favorite Truth or Dare target was not a title Raph was thrilled to have.

Glancing around at his other siblings, he found himself wishing it was anyone but his youngest brother's turn, a wish he seemed to make every time Mikey sat there poring over them all like pieces of meat waiting to be torn apart. Donnie, who was seated directly next to him, was always the one you wanted to get chosen by. The purple masked turtle always seemed too hesitant to ask or dare anything too crazy. It could be a bit obnoxious, like the time Raph was dared to not talk for 5 minutes straight, having to start the clock over every time he spoke, but nothing like what Leo and Mikey were capable of.

Turning next to his eldest brother, Raph couldn't help but frown. Choosing dare from Leo was usually a pretty safe bet as it always ended up being something lame, but choosing truth? That could lead to some serious trouble. The worst part was that he didn't even have to be directing the question at Raph himself for the red masked turtle to reap the consequences. With a scowl he recalled the time Leo had asked Donnie to spill the beans on who had really filled his bed with ice. He'd almost managed to pin that one on Mikey, too.

But then there was Dr. Prankenstein himself. With him it didn't matter if you chose to answer one question truthfully or brave whatever crazy dare he came up with, it always ended up being embarrassing. Dares usually involved putting on some kind of a performance, but his truth questions almost always involved revealing some secret that Mikey had somehow managed to discover. Raph's face darkened as he recalled the last time he chose that option. He didn't know how Mikey had found out that he would talk out loud to his drum set as he was cleaning it, but he knew that no amount of denial could conceal what was showing plainly on his face, the color of which had matched his mask perfectly.

"Raph!"

Hearing his name jarred him free of the unpleasant memory and back into the horror of the present. He looked at Mikey, trying to mask the deer-in-headlights gaze he was sure he was giving him. His brother's grin merely grew.

"Truth or Dare?"

Raphael sat up straight, puffing out his chest, not wanting to appear intimidated. It was a game, a competition, and he hated to lose. He would not let his baby brother win. Narrowing his eyes and refusing to even blink, he lifted his head and replied proudly.

"Dare."

Trying not to squirm as Mikey's eyes lit up with joy, he steeled his nerves, ready for whatever embarrassing thing he was about to make him do. He could feel his other two siblings' eyes on him, knowing they were hiding grins of their own. They were safe for another turn. Now they just had to sit back and enjoy the show.

"I dare you," began Mikey slowly, dragging out his brother's agony as long as possible, "to run into Sensei's room and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot'. Oh, and you've gotta do the dance, too, duh."

Just as Raph thought his little brother was done, he quickly opened his mouth and added, "And you have to do it _three times_."

There it was. That little extra something that made Mikey so dangerous. The little devil knew perfectly well that doing it once right where he sat would be enough to set him on edge. Asking him to do it three times in a row in front of Master Splinter was akin to asking Mikey to remain silent for a week. Raph responded the only way he knew how.

"What?" he cried, "Three times? That's too many! Once is enough! And why in front of Sensei? We shouldn't bother him, right, guys?"

Raph turned to his remaining siblings, pleading his case. If the two of them deemed the dare too over the top, Mikey would have to tone it down. They almost never did, though. He briefly hoped that Leo would at least side with him about Master Splinter, but the smile tugging at the corners of his older brother's mouth gave away his stance before he even spoke.

"I think father would love to see your performance," said Leo with a chuckle, clearly enjoying his brother's pain.

"But -"

"You know," interrupted Donnie with a smirk, "if you want to give up, you can. There are a lot of dishes to be cleaned, after all, and Mikey was in the bathroom an awfully long time this morning."

"Hey!" said Mikey, failing to sound indignant as he couldn't stop giggling.

Pulling his head lower into his shell so that his chin just touched the top of his plastron, Raph pouted. He knew the penalty for passing on a dare or lying his way through a question. When they were younger, the loser used to have to do everyone's chores for a week. But they had somewhere along the line agreed that a week was not nearly a harsh enough penalty. Now it was a month. The thought of cleaning up after Mikey and whatever mess he got into for a full month sent shivers down Raph's shell.

"So?" prodded Mikey as he stared expectantly at his stubborn brother, "What's it gonna be? Do the dare," he giggled, "or clean the lair?"

Suddenly feeling very self conscious with all eyes on him, Raph stomped to his feet. He dropped his hands to his sides and balled them into tight fists, his mouth turned down in a fierce frown.

"Fine," he snapped, "I'll do it."

And with that Raph stormed off toward the dojo, three pairs of feet scrambling after him. Upon reaching the entrance, he quickly whirled around, stopping his pursuers in their tracks.

"You have to stay out here!" he demanded. Seeing Mikey about to protest he shot him a deadly glare. "You said I had to do it in front of Master Splinter. You never said I had to do it in front of you, too."

The young turtle looked as if he wanted to respond, but he refused to give him the chance. Turning back toward their father's chambers, he marched straight for the door and held his hand up to knock. He found himself hesitating, however, his heart beating wildly with embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, he again went to knock but heard a voice from inside before before he could do so.

"You may come in, my son."

Ignoring the chuckles from behind him, he gulped and opened the sliding door. Entering the small room, he closed the door behind him and turned to face the ninja master, hoping the redness in his face was hidden by the dim lighting.

Master Splinter sat cross legged on a mat, thins trails of smoke from some incense gently curling around him. Only a few candles were lit, and the mutant rat seemed his normal calm and relaxed self. Raph immediately gave a stiff bow.

"I take it Michelangelo has sent you to me."

Raph lifted his head and looked at his father curiously. "How -"

Splinter merely smiled as he raised a furry eyebrow and said, "Donatello only ever reenacts The Three Stooges when you boys are playing that insufferable game of yours, does he not?"

Unable to completely hide his smirk at the mental image of Donnie poking himself in the eye, Raph felt his nerves begin to calm. His stomach was now only lurching uncomfortably instead of continually doing backflips.

"So, what has your brother planned for me this time?"

Fidgeting where he stood, Raph cleared his throat. Standing as tall as he could manage, he took a deep breath and began to sing.

"'I'm a little teapot, short and stout...'"

The young turtle could feel his face burning as he continued his song, doing the hand motions as was required. Looking anywhere but into his father's eyes, he hurried through the words, one tight fist on his waist and the other stiffly out to the side.

"'...tip me over and pour me out.'"

Stealing a glance at Splinter as he promptly started over again, he could see the ninja master trying to hide his amusement, but the twinkle in his eyes and the twitch of his usually still tail gave him away. Feeling his face get even hotter, he rushed through the words as fast as his mouth would allow. Raph couldn't be sure he was technically singing anymore, but the sooner this was over with, the sooner he could pummel Mikey.

As he at last reached the end of his performance, he didn't even bother to bow as he hastily grabbed for the door and threw it open. His eyes grew wide, however, as he saw all three of his brothers scrambling through the dojo and back out into the hallway, the sound of laughter trailing along behind them.

Growling fiercely as he raced after his brothers, he stopped at the top of the stairs leading back down into the common area and screamed. "MIKEY!"

In the middle of the floor, the youngest of his siblings was cowering behind the eldest, unable to contain his laughter despite the fury that was approaching him. Grinding his teeth, the angry turtle made a grab for his baby brother but was cut off by Leo's outstretched arm.

"Let it go, Raph," he said as calmly as he could manage, "It's just a game. You didn't have to do it if -"

"Mikey! Truth or Dare!?" interrupted Raph furiously. He reached to snatch Mikey out from behind his shield, but the small turtle ducked with a squeak and ran toward Donnie instead. Turning toward the purple masked turtle, his tall brother immediately put his hands up in surrender.

"Raph, calm down. You know it's against the rules to pick the person that picked you," he said, his eyes darting from Raph to Mikey nervously, wishing more than anything to not be in the middle of this.

But the irate turtle merely growled and again lunged for his youngest brother. "You cheated! You guys weren't supposed to be listening! If you can cheat, so can I!"

"Raph, we didn't -"

"Dare!"

Three sets of eyes all fell on Mikey as he stood his ground, full of determination. He had his hands on his hips and a confident smirk on his face, and Raph wanted nothing more than to wipe it off in any way he could.

The angry turtle could feel his brothers' gazes upon him, waiting to see what would happen next. If Mikey was the embarrassing Truth or Dare player then Raph was the mean one. Normally one would chose Truth from the hot headed turtle as he didn't have the patience to come up with anything interesting, but dare? That was practically begging for punishment.

Raph's fists tightened and his eyes narrowed as he stared down his baby brother, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"I dare you to go up to the surface alone and take a picture with a human using Sensei's old camera."

The shock in Mikey's eyes brought a cruel grin to Raph's face. Ever since he'd gotten lost in the sewers as a small turtle, his baby brother had been terrified of going anywhere alone. He hadn't even wanted to sleep in his own room at first. And the surface, while enticing in it's own way, promised dangers they could barely dream of, most especially humans. There was no way Mikey would agree. He'd have to forfeit, earning his chores for a month. His cocky attitude deflated, however, when Leo suddenly decided to speak up.

"He can't do that!" He marched over, standing directly between his two brothers. "It's against the rules! 'No dares that go against Master Splinter's orders.' You know that!"

"Well he shoulda thought of that before he cheated!" cried Raph as he shoved Leo to the floor.

"He didn't cheat," said Donnie sternly as he grabbed Raph's arm before the situation could escalate. "It's not like he said we couldn't be there. You're just mad you had to do it."

Pushing Donnie away roughly, he growled angrily. "You're always taking _his_ side!" Without warning, he jumped on top of Leo, throwing punches through the air wildly. "Just 'cause he's the baby you let him get away with whatever he wants! You always -"

"Enough!"

Raph's fist halted in midair as Splinter's voice rang through the lair. Before he could move, he felt Leo shoving his body to the side, and he fell to the floor with a light thud.

"Sensei!" the eldest turtle cried, immediately standing at attention, "Raph dared Mikey to go up to the surface alone!"

The look on their father's face sent chills down Raph's spine as he scrambled to his feet. "Sensei, Mikey an' Leo an' Donnie were all listening in when -"

"Is this true, Raphael?"

For a moment, Raph shut his mouth and paused. His green eyes lost some of their defiance, but he was still determined to plead his case. "But Sensei -"

"_Is this true?_"

Clapping his mouth shut, Raph pulled his head further into his shell. Turning his angry gaze toward the ground, he at last gave a clipped nod. He quickly folded his arms across his chest, a pout twisting the corners of his mouth downward.

Master Splinter calmly walked over and knelt in front of his rebellious son. "And why would you wish to endanger your brother so?"

"Because Mikey made me sing that stupid song in front of you, but then they were all standing outside listening and laughing at me!" cried Raph, the words tumbling out as fast as it was possible for him to say them. "They were supposed to wait outside the dojo, and -"

"And you felt this a good enough reason to tell your brother to go up to the surface - a place you are forbidden to set foot - alone?"

His father hadn't raised his voice, but the anger and disappointment that dripped from it was unmistakable. As Raph thought on his words, his gaze again returned to the ground.

Standing once again, Master Splinter breathed a heavy sigh. "Raphael, I am very disappointed in you. You have allowed your temper to control you once again. I come in here and find you attacking Leonardo and then discover that you seek to endanger Michelangelo as well."

Raph could feel the moisture building in his eyes at the reprimand, but he willed the tears to remain hidden. He refused to cry in front of his family.

"You shall spend the rest of the night in your room. I want you to meditate on your actions, my son. We shall discuss further measures to deal with your behavior tomorrow after you have thought about the way you acted tonight. Now go." The ninja master pointed a finger toward his bedroom.

As the humiliated turtle trudged away, he heard Master Splinter addressing his brothers. "I want the three of you to remain here for a moment. I would like to speak with you as well. Now, would anyone care to explain what happened?"

Upon reaching his door, he quickly opened it and slammed it closed behind him. Jumping onto his bed, he lay on his stomach staring angrily at the wall in front of him. It just wasn't fair! Why was he the only one being punished? It was Mikey's fault; he started it! Him and that stupid dare...

Raph sniffed loudly, rubbing his eyes as he refused to let his angry tears fall. It wasn't like he wanted Mikey to get hurt. He knew his brother wouldn't really go up to the streets, especially not alone. He had only dared him to do it because he wanted to scare him a little, maybe get himself out of chores for a while. But then Leo had stepped in and ruined everything.

"Stupid Leo," mumbled Raph as he thought back on everything that had happened, "Stupid Donnie. Stupid Mikey!"

Quickly sitting up, the frustrated turtle began punching his helpless pillow.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Making me do that stupid dance and sing that stupid song! And they were laughing at me! They're all just so -"

He continued to beat on his pillow as a string of curses left his mouth. When he'd finally worn himself out, he crumpled back onto the mattress face down. His anger finally subsiding, he simply lay there. With the distraction of the rage gone, his mind finally began to tell him what deep down he knew all along.

Deny it all he wanted, this really was his fault.

Raph sighed. _He'd_ gotten angry. _He'd_ started yelling at everyone. _He'd_ thrown that punch at Leo. Maybe his brothers shouldn't have been listening in, but he had overreacted, and as usual, it had gotten him into trouble.

Turning onto his side, Raph reached down and drew his blanket up around him, snuggling into a tight ball. It was far too early to go to sleep, but he suddenly felt exhausted. He would have to deal with the consequences of his actions tomorrow, but until then he just wanted to shut out the rest of the world for a while.

* * *

"Raph! Psst, Raph! Wake up!"

Feeling a nudge on his shoulder, the sleeping turtle groaned and rolled over, shooting a glare at the intruder.

"Oh good, you're awake. Here!"

Raph growled as he stared at his baby brother. Mikey was kneeling next to his bed, his bear - Mr. Claws - gripped tightly in one arm. His other hand was holding something directly in front of his face, so close he couldn't tell what it was. Untangling his right arm from under his blanket, he reached out and yanked what he discovered to be a piece of paper from his brother's fingers and held it far enough away so that he could see it.

Green eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly sitting straight up in his bed, he studied what he now knew to be a photo more closely. There in his hands was a picture of Mikey - well, about half of him, anyway - grasping Mr. Claws in one arm, the other held out in front of him, clearly holding the camera. Just behind him, Raph could barely make out the fuzzy shapes of two human legs.

Lowering the photograph, he stared at his brother's innocent face in shock. Mikey was looking at him expectantly as if waiting for him to say something. Opening his mouth to speak, Raph found himself at a loss for words.

"You did it," he whispered at last, "I can't believe you actually did it."

The young turtle's face immediately lit up with pride, but Raph's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You shouldn't have gone up there alone!" he hissed, instantly wiping the smile from Mikey's mouth. "What if you'd've gotten lost or hurt or somethin'?"

"But, the dare -"

"The dare was stupid!"

Looking into his brother's big, blue eyes, Raph could only berate himself. What if they had all woken up the next morning only to find Mikey no where in the lair? What if they'd turned on the TV and seen coverage of the strange turtle mutant that had been captured roaming the streets that night? All because Raph couldn't keep his anger in check.

"I didn't really mean for you to do it, Mikey," he said at last, his voice unusually quiet, "I just wanted to scare you a little. I was just trying to get you back for... for what happened earlier."

The little turtle clutched his bear tighter and hung his head. "I'm sorry..."

"What? No, Mikey, I..." Raph looked away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad. It was just a game."

"Well, yeah, but I shouldn't have done something I knew would make you mad on purpose," said Mikey. He looked up, catching Raph's gaze as he continued. "Sensei said it wasn't very nice of us to listen in after you had told us not to. We should have just stayed in the hallway. I'm sorry I made you so mad."

The older turtle was beginning to fidget in his bed. These sorts of emotional conversations always made him uncomfortable. "Well, fine," he mumbled, "but I still shouldn't have gotten mad anyway, so stop apologizing, ok?"

A small smile returned to Mikey's face as he nodded. "Ok."

As silence hung awkwardly in the small room, Raph again raised the photograph, studying it closely. Unlike the usual bright grin he would normally wear in photos, the look Mikey wore was one of concentration. It also became clear that he was hiding under some sort of a bench or chair, the legs in the picture belonging to an anonymous human sitting right on top of his youngest sibling. He frowned in concern.

"Did anyone see you?"

The sudden question seemed to catch Mikey off guard. "Huh?"

"The humans," clarified Raph, locking eyes with his brother sternly, "Did any of them see you?"

"Nope!" Mikey instantly jumped to his feet, a playful grin on his face as he hid behind his brother's drum set. "I was silent like the night, using my ninja training and stealth!"

Peeking out from behind the bass drum, he let out a nervous laugh. "Of course, I was in the sewers most of the time," he continued as he hopped back out into the open, "but I wasn't scared! I had Mr. Claws to keep me company -" He raised his stuffed bear into the air. "- and as soon as I snapped the picture, I raced back to the lair. And that's when I came to find you."

As Mikey plopped back onto the ground, his grand tale recounted, there was no mistaking the look of triumph on the young turtle's face. And he had every right to be proud. Sure he'd disobeyed a direct order from Master Splinter, but he'd faced his fear of being alone and punched it in the nose. In truth, Raph couldn't have been more proud of his baby brother.

"I gotta admit," said Raph with a grin, "that's pretty cool, Mikey."

The wide smile he got in return was the bright and cheerful one he was used to seeing on his brother. It began to fade, however, as Mikey noticed the smirk growing on Raph's face.

"Of course, from now on you're gonna have to pick Dare from me," teased the older turtle as his sibling looked at him curiously, "'cause now I've got the perfect question to ask if you ever pick Truth."

He couldn't help but laugh as Mikey climbed into his bed and proceeded to try and snatch the photographic evidence of his journey topside from his grasp. Eventually Raph would assure him that his secret was safe, but for now he was enjoying watching someone else squirm.

* * *

A/N: ...I'm starting to notice a pattern with the endings to my Raph and Mikey fluff moments. Anyway, this got way long. I thought it would be half this size, and since my "three a week" is supposed to be three short stories, this may end up counting for two. As silly as it may sound, it kind of wore me out, haha.

As always, critics and grammar police appreciated!


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